Of Mice And Men :: John Steinbeck

"Ain’t No Good to Himself nor Anybody Else" â€Å"You seen what they did to my dog tonight? They says he wasn’t no good to himself nor anybody else. I wish somebody’d shoot me when I ain’t no good no more.†(60) Candy spoke these words implying that death is better than being no good to himself or anybody else. The same is true for Lennie. Lennie wasn’t good for himself because he couldn’t survive on his own. He can’t stay out of trouble and without George he would have been dead a long time ago. He’s no good to others because he doesn’t now his own strength and can’t control himself. He had murdered a woman because of his curiosity and his self-uncontrollability. â€Å"I ought to of shot that dog myself, George I shouldn’t ought let no stranger shoot my dog.†(61) As Candy said he had the choice of saving his dog from himself and others. So did George but unlike the regretful Candy, George made the right decision in saving Lennie from himself and others. Candy’s dog was no good to itself and was going to be shot by strangers. It would have been better for Candy to shoot him himself. It would have been better for Candy’s dog to be saved from himself by a friend than by a stranger. George was in the right by ending Lennie’s life himself. There was no stopping the inevitable. The workers would have gotten the dog killed any way they could. The same is true for George. Curly and the workers no matter what would have killed Lennie. George could not stop them from killing Lennie. He could only save Lennie from the fear and loneliness he would feel if a stranger killed him. Who knows what they might have done to Lennie if George wouldn’t have saved him from them? They might have shot him in a place where he would have died slowly or they might have hung him or a combination of both and he would have died alone and afraid. In discussing the guilt of George you have to consider the time setting of this novel. It was set in the 1930’s. The reason you must consider the time setting is because things change with time. What may have been allowed then may not have been allowed now. What happened then may not have happened now.